Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared in public for the first time Saturday after spending nearly a month in hiding during the country’s brief conflict with Israel.
Khamenei’s emergence at a religious gathering in Tehran seemed intended as a projection of stability and strength after weeks of assassination threats and speculation about his health.
Iran’s leaders have sought to tap into nationalist sentiment in the wake of the conflict with Israel and US strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities; Khamenei requested the speaker at Saturday’s event recite a song with “deep nationalist themes,” the Financial Times reported.
Analysts are closely watching Khamenei for signs about the future of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, which some experts believe could accelerate.